A lot of people seem to be recommending the 4GB version above the 2GB particularly for muti display setups. However since the GTX770s memory bandwidth is 256bit (compared to GTX780s 3GB 384bit VRAM). I'm planning:

i7-3770 (OC ~ 4GHz)

GTX770

8GB DDR3

Mainly for X-Plane and some FSX.

 

Q1) Am I going to be able to make good use of double the VRAM fon the 4GB card for the same memory bandwidth?

Q2) Do I really need 4GB VRAM in the X-Plane server machine when I can network more PC's for additional views?

Can't answer your xplane question, but am interested why are you going for the 3770 on a dead platform, instead of a 4770/4790k on something you could upgrade the cpu on later?

why are you going for the 3770 on a dead platform, instead of a 4770/4790k on something you could upgrade the cpu on later?

Ivy Bridge are still good processors and I like the idea of not wondering when the "next" fastest CPU will be released - the 3770 is the fastest for that series! In the past this sort of logic has given me a good "bang for buck" experience. Also I'm disappointed with Haswell's thermal performance when overclocking - I don't want to play around with delidding.

For what it is worth, my 4770K runs quite happily at 4.0 GHz with the stock cooler and default voltages..

 

Very nice CPU.. and with it, you get PCIe3 which will make your video card happy!

 

Asus Z87-A motherboard.. not much money..

I am really not convinced that at resolutions under 1920x1080 and a 256bit memory bandwidth, the extra 2GB of VRAM on the GTX770 OC cards is going to be useful! Can someone provide any evidence that X-Plane or FSX would ever access more than 2GB VRAM?

 

I've been browsing GTX770 cards and since I'm not planning to OC my graphics card I don't need advanced OC features. Top of my are EVGA cards, unless anyone has any better suggestions?

I run at 3840x1024 and have never seen more than 0.9GB used by FSX with my Asus 770 2GB. Mind you, I only have in-game AA and AF set, which I find very acceptable. Higher AA/AF could make enough of a difference to warrant 4G VRAM at such resolutions.

X-Plane may well be different... but I would agree that FSX on a single monitor is not constrained by 2GB, on the contrary..

Just installed the EVGA 4GB 770 yesterday and it's great for X-Plane 10. For FSX I think 2GB will be fine but trust me, 4GB is so worth it for X-Plane 10. 

Just installed the EVGA 4GB 770 yesterday and it's great for X-Plane 10. For FSX I think 2GB will be fine but trust me, 4GB is so worth it for X-Plane 10. 

Can you give me an example using X-Plane where you are seeing an improvement with that extra 2GB? What's the highest VRAM in use you're seeing in X-plane?

 

Also, I looked up your system specs and I see you have FF777 and FF757 which are both addons I intend to get. Have you seen improvements with those addons and your GTX770?

I think you need more for P3D but someone else will have to confirm.

Can you give me an example using X-Plane where you are seeing an improvement with that extra 2GB? What's the highest VRAM in use you're seeing in X-plane?

 

Also, I looked up your system specs and I see you have FF777 and FF757 which are both addons I intend to get. Have you seen improvements with those addons and your GTX770?

 

The highest VRAM usage I've seen is ~2200 MB. That's only because I prefer sheer performance compared to using addons like OSM or World2XP (and instead I've cranked up default autogen which is soo underrated). With my old GTX 570, I'd get maybe 25 FPS using no airport scenery and barely any anti aliasing (VRAM then was about 1800). With my 770 the lowest I'm seeing with highly detailed airports, more roads etc (but as I said, no OSM) is around 35 in the FF 757 and 39 in the FF 777. The 757 is considerably more resource heavy than the 777 because it's a modern addon. I used to get stutters and sometimes only 5 FPS in the 757 cockpit - now as I said 32-35 in the cockpit at worst and 40+ in the exterior. 

 

So you've seen me report my lowest FPS, but if you're wondering, I'm averaging between 37-70!

 

I'd definitely recommend both the 757 and the 777. Both are pretty close to PMDG accuracy with some small / barely noticeable bugs. Anyway, to sum it up, MASSIVE improvement in the performance with FF addons as well as the default aircraft.

 

 

If you have any more questions, please quote ask, I'd be happy to help out.  

The highest VRAM usage I've seen is ~2200 MB... I'm averaging between 37-70!

 

I'd definitely recommend both the 757 and the 777...

 

If you have any more questions, please quote ask, I'd be happy to help out.  

Thanks a lot. I am considering various multi display configurations with networked PCs. Have you ever tried multi monitor setups with your GTX770?

 

Do the FF777 and FF757 have options for 2D panels or some other configuration for multi display setups, or is it VC only? I couldn't find that info on the FF website.

Thanks a lot. I am considering various multi display configurations with networked PCs. Have you ever tried multi monitor setups with your GTX770?

 

Do the FF777 and FF757 have options for 2D panels or some other configuration for multi display setups, or is it VC only? I couldn't find that info on the FF website.

 

 

No, I'm only using 1 monitor due to personal preference. 

 

The 777 and 757 have pop out FMCs that are 2d but that's it. Both are great. 

 

I'm personally thinking of getting Skymaxx v2 now because even with the 4GB 770 I just noticed that frames can dip down as far as 22 with default clouds set at overcast and cloud puffs set at minimum (10%). Skymaxx really improves frame rates. 

 

I think you need more for P3D but someone else will have to confirm.

Well another reason to consider the 4GB version - I will check out the graphics requirements for P3D, I'm just not sure it's worth the extra £100!

 

I see that the EVGA cards have either their ACX or Titan cooler (which I believe exhausts the warm air out the end of the card rather than into the case), any thoughts on which wold be better for a non-SLI setup?  For those of you with a GTX770 how are you finding the temps before you do any OC yourself?

I have the Asus GTX770 2GB and it runs quite cool in FSX.

 

Temperatures in the low 50s, under load.